As the days grow shorter and the nights a little cooler, signs of autumn will begin to emerge.
Ohio’s forest canopies will soon begin their color transformation to strong reds, vivid yellows and bold oranges that encourage people to visit the Buckeye State to catch that first glimpse of color. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), in partnership with TourismOhio, will help people find the best locations to view the changing colors throughout the fall.

“The fall color season provides Ohioans with a great opportunity to enjoy our state parks, forests and nature preserves,” ODNR Director James Zehringer said. “Across the state, communities host festivals and events that welcome the changing season and provide added incentive to get out and enjoy Ohio’s fall color season.”

Forecasting fall color is not always easy because several variables must be taken into account, such as sunlight, temperature, wind and rainfall, when calculating the brilliance and longevity of Ohio’s autumn color. This fall, according to ODNR Fall Color Forester Greg Smith, we are expecting that peak leaf color should be appearing in the northern third of Ohio in mid to late October, late October for the central third and the southern third at the end of October and beginning of November. The current forecast, along with informative videos, are available at fallcolor.ohiodnr.gov.

New this year, ODNR will be highlighting various regions of the state and bringing the fall color to people from those regions directly each week. The fall color reports will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 3, and will continue each Wednesday throughout the fall color season.

People interested in finding out where to find most eye-catching leaves throughout the upcoming fall color season should check out fallcolor.ohiodnr.gov, Ohio’s official guide to the changing colors. This website includes:

Weekly color updates and information to help plan a fall color adventure.
Weekly videos from ODNR naturalists highlighting fall color hot spots around the state.
Links to fall activities, scenic road trips, unique overnight accommodations at Ohio State Parks and more.
Fall is a distinctive season in Ohio with an identifiable color palette of reds, oranges and yellows; cooler temperatures; and aromas and tastes of autumn’s harvest from apples to pumpkins. It’s such a fun, vibrant few months to enjoy time with those closest to you that it feels like a holiday — or perhaps a Falliday! To help visitors find those special autumn activities in Ohio, the Office of TourismOhio has created a new landing page, ohio.org/fallidays.

ODNR and TourismOhio encourage people to take fall color photos and upload them to social media using the hashtag #OhioFall18 and #FallidaysinOhio. Follow @ohiodnr and @OhioFindItHere on Twitter, Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio. Find it Here. on Facebook and @ohiodnr, @ohstateparks and @ohiogram on Instagram to see more fall color photos.

Ohio State Parks is also having a photo contest this fall. Help us highlight the best of the great outdoors in a variety of categories for a chance to win great prizes! Enter today at ohiostateparksphotocontest.com.